OVERALL: Heavy mentor involvement and side by side work with the students in various aspects of the competition is not only okay, but encouraged in order to maximize learning opportunities for students in the most complex level of competition within the FIRST suite of programs.
TECHNICAL:
Robot Programming/Software Engineering Mentor
- Assist team members with writing code to control robot in C++, Java, Robot C or Labview (depending on program)
- Maintains process focus
Electric Engineer Mentor
- Assist team with wiring the robot’s power and signal system
- Assist and instruct the team members in the electrical and electronics systems on the robot
Mechanical Engineer Mentor
- Provides assistance with design and construction of the robot
- Advise students on the safe use of tools and safety procedures
NON TECHNICAL:
Project Management Mentor
- Provides and overview of project management concepts for team
- Guides the team throughout the project life cycle
Outreach Mentor
- Assist in managing and developing outreach and STEM advocacy programs. Examples for Westlake include SACOT and Lilypad programs..
Scholarship Mentor
- Assist to educate students, mentors, and parents regarding scholarship opportunities available to FIRST students
- Coordinates application for student/mentor nominations for awards
Marketing Mentor
- Provides a basic overview of Marketing concepts
- Assists students with development and implementation of a Marketing Plan in coordination with the development of a Business Plan
Finance Mentor
- Assist the team in preparing a Business Plan, financial planning/budget for the season
- Organize and assists with fundraising efforts
FIRST® Robotics Competition season runs from October – April with the peak build season January through February and competitions March-April.
If you would like to learn more about being a volunteer mentor, please email us at info@westaaustin.org.